Of Bastards and Men
by bejome
Summary: Aftermath of the episode "Are We Not Men?" Picks up immediately after Roy goes to check on Jen, who's having a bit of a meltdown after her breakup with Mike. In the wake of comforting his friend, Roy thinks he realizes something else, and maybe Jen hints on sharing his feelings. One shot. Implied Jen/Roy fluffiness. T for mild swearing.


**A/N**: What am I doing? I just started watching this show a week ago and I'm already writing fan fiction?

Guess I had a romantic itch that needed to be scratched.

Written when I should have been sleeping.

FML.

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"I better go make sure she's all right."

After a few steps and some choice words to the entering postman, Roy found himself purposely situated just at the entrance to Jen's office. The placard reading "Relationship Manager" was neat and shiny on the door, as seamlessly tidy as her office and perfectly juxtaposed against her current demeanor. If Roy were a crueler person he'd say out loud the irony of her being a relationship manager when she couldn't seem to keep a relationship for longer than a week – but then again, neither could Roy – what was that saying about a pot and a kettle both being black?

Shrugging mentally, Roy settled himself down in the chair just in front of Jen's desk and watched as she moaned quietly to herself. Jen's face was currently buried in her hands so she had no idea that her colleague was even present much less eyeing her with some concern and, perhaps, even some sympathy.

Roy had to admit to himself as he watched his boss fret silently that for all her faults Jen really was a lovely woman. While she could be fierce to turn on those close to her in the heat of her emotions, she was equally quick to turn to their defense when they were in need. Confident (to a fault), guided and ambitions, she was also exceedingly forgiving, perhaps even a little too much at times as certain situations with Douglas Reynholm had proven. She was in all senses of the words a 'modern woman', a sentiment Roy had never fully understood, but even if he could never grasp at the concept wholly he knew that Jen would forever be the embodiment of it in his mind.

Some moments later, many of which were filled with silence and sighs (the latter of which were fully on Jen's part) Roy cleared his throat politely. Startled, Jen looked up, her expression wide eyed and panicked, though it eased somewhat at the realization that it was only Roy there with her.

"What do you want, Roy?" she sighed, not in her usually snippy or spunky manner. No, this time all the fire was taken out of her speech and instead the words were laden with quiet disappointment and perhaps a twinge of self loathing – not that Roy was familiar with what that sounded like in verbal form.

"Just wanted to see if you were okay," he replied. "That didn't look so good."

The sigh that escaped Jen's mouth and nose seemed to deflate her shoulders a little. Her eyes were drawn to her computer as he spoke, but once she had released what little sense of self worth she seemed to have been gripping desperately at that moment brought not only her shoulders but her eyes sinking toward the ground. With all the 'I'm so not lying' effort she could give, and still failing miserably at it, Jen answered.

"I'm fine. And he will be too." She peered over Roy's shoulder checking to make sure Michael the Not Magician wasn't within ear shot.

Roy brought a corner of his mouth up in his typical "I'm not falling for that" grin and raised a matching eyebrow. His expression more than likely said what he was thinking ("Bullshit") but instead he only said "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Jen said dryly. Her eyes were back on her computer screen now, but they weren't focused on whatever it was that she was likely fake-typing to make Roy go away.

"You sure?" he prodded, unsure as to why he didn't take the hint.

Jen stopped her fake typing and folded her hands politely in her lap. She took Roy in for a few seconds, her eyes seeming to gauge whether or not he truly cared, which was a strange thought to him. She'd saved him from more than his fair share of ass beatings a few times (many of which he knew he deserved even if he'd never admit it), brought him back from the brink of one of the worst days of his life that had left him temporarily homeless (kind of), sheltered him and at times even mothered him while in turn he had taken a hefty beating by a man armed with a clown shoe whom she'd once labeled "nice" – though in truth he had only been looking out for her. That she doubted at this point in their relationship that he cared about her was somewhat insulting, but they had never been the most forward of people, so he forgave her and pressed on.

"Fine, Roy. No, I'm not, if that helps. Despite how he looked, he truly was a very nice man who actually made the most insane of efforts to make our relationship work out, and because I couldn't get something stupid you said out of my mind the whole thing is now ruined."

"Hey now, is that really my fault?" Roy raised his hands in defense.

"Yes! Yes it is!"

"Really? He was perfectly fine yet you couldn't get over how he looks? Isn't that a bit shallow?"

"Yes it's shallow!" she hollered at him. "Of course it's shallow! And I hate realizing that I – despite all of this – " she gestured at herself in a manner that confused Roy " – am a shallow human being! I'm going to grow old and die alone because of how shallow I am! The few times I find good men I find a reason to push them away! Meanwhile I have boot lickers like Douglas Renholm slipping me a rohypnol every chance he gets that I can't seem to get rid of!" Before Roy could respond Jen slammed her face into her hands, her elbows colliding with her desk with a resounding thud that made Roy jump a little. After a few seconds Roy was surprised to see Jen's shoulders shake with what he prayed weren't sobs.

"Hey…Jen?" he whispered.

"I just don't know what's wrong with me," she sniffled.

Oi, crap. She was totally crying.

Roy couldn't currently recall a time when he hadn't felt lower, even though Jen's placement of blame on him was hardly well deserved. Frowning, Roy stepped over to Jen's side of the desk and gave her shoulders a friendly rub.

"Hey now," he shushed as affectionately as he could, which wasn't much considering Roy was…well, Roy. "There's nothing wrong with you." At least nothing that wasn't wrong with every other woman in the world, but Roy felt it might be best to leave that out for the time being. "Maybe there's another reason you're dissatisfied with these guys, hmm? Or maybe you're just getting better at picking out bastards?"

Roy heard something of what sounded like a weak laugh emerge from between Jen's fingers (where her face was still buried). He counted that a small victory and kneeled over so that he was (almost) at eye level with her, his hands still gently wrapped around her shoulders in sort of a human blanket sort of comfort level.

"C'mon, you're young, attractive, and super smart." He paused. "Unless it's something to do with computers."

Jen smiled now, pulling her hands away from her face long enough to give him a playful and friendly shove. Her eyes were a little bloodshot and her mascara had run a bit, giving her a slightly raccoon-ish look, but despite it all she still had beautiful steely blue eyes that sparkled when she smiled. Roy smiled back, happy to see that his words had taken hold where it mattered.

"There you go," he breathed. "Though you might want to clean up before you venture outside."

She laughed and called him a bastard even as he gave her shoulders an extra rub. Thoughtlessly, Roy planted a kiss on her head, and almost just as thoughtlessly, Jen's hand reached up to touch his own.

"Thank you Roy," she whispered, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Anytime," he said, and he meant it. His chin hadn't left the top of her head, and for a moment he caught himself enjoying the smell of her hair.

"Maybe all the men in my life aren't bastards after all."

Feeling emboldened, Roy rested his cheek now atop her head and placing his arms both affectionately, but respectfully, around her shoulders he gave her the strangest embrace he'd ever shared with a woman in his life, and with that he released her and stepped around the desk. As he was prepared to leave, Jen's thin hand caught hold of his wrist. Roy spun around to gaze into those blue eyes and for an instant felt something inside of him change. Did his heart just…flutter?

"Seriously Roy," she said with an almost full return of her normal vocal inflections. "Thank you."

Quicker than Roy could register Jen raised herself up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek, though her lips were jarringly close to the corner of his own. She smiled, and without another word walked out of the office, already cleaning herself up so as to not draw Moss's attention.

Roy stood transfixed for a second, wondering all of a sudden if these past few moments had been filled with something more than just a few comforting words between friends.

Worst case scenario, Roy realized as he slowly glided from Jen's office, at least Moss wasn't the last person he'd been kissed by today.

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**A/N: **To be fair, this was written in like...20 minutes and I probably won't do another one as I'm far too upset that Jen and Roy never actually got together in cannon.

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


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